Design and Technology
Intent
At Parkfield Primary School, we aim to provide all children with a broad and balanced curriculum which prepares them for life beyond primary education. We encourage children to use their creativity and imagination, to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. Design and Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. It can be found in many of the objects children use each day and is a part of children’s immediate experiences. Design and Technology encourages children to learn to think and intervene creatively to solve problems both as individuals and as members of a team.
We aim to, wherever possible, link work to other subjects such as mathematics, science, geography, history, RE, PSHE, computing and art. The children are encouraged to become innovators and risk-takers. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the every single pupil.
At Parkfield Primary School the curriculum for design and technology aims to ensure that all pupils:
• develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
• build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users
• critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others
• understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.
Implementation
Through a variety of creative and practical activities, we teach the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in designing and making. The children work in a range of relevant contexts (for example home, school, leisure, culture, enterprise, industry and the wider environment). When designing and making, the children are taught to:
Design
use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design
Make
select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks (for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing) accurately select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and tasteful qualities
Evaluate
investigate and analyse a range of existing products evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world
Technical knowledge
apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures understand and use mechanical systems in their products understand and use electrical systems in their products
apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products
Key skills and key knowledge for D and T have been mapped across the school to ensure progression between year groups. This also ensures that there is a context for the children’s work in Design and Technology; that they learn about real life structures and the purpose of specific examples, as well as developing their skills throughout the programme of study.
